Tools

(05/07/2009) - Although 2003 U.S. pair champions Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn ended their competitive partnership in 2005, the duo remains intertwined on and off the ice. Both of them coach at the University of Delaware and see each other pretty much every day. They also perform professionally, most notably, at an annual holiday show produced by Scott and Dulebohn's friend, Dirke Baker.

"We've done the show for three years and Philip and I have skated each year," said Scott of the show that runs from Thanksgiving to Jan. 11, at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. "Every year I never know how long I'm going to last because I'm getting older. But it's so much fun that each year I want to do it again."

The show usually involves four skaters for each performance. So that no one gets exhausted, they rotate among five different casts.

Scott, 32, is also sought after to choreograph and stage other productions. She served as artistic director for the Skating Club of Wilmington club show that was held in late April.

"It was a pretty large production with props and a theme and about 150 kids in it," she said.

Although raised in Massachusetts, Delaware has been Scott's home for almost 13 years. It's where she met her husband of four years, Brian Pryor, who is graduating from medical school on May 31. He'll be doing a surgical residency in Philadelphia, so they'll remain based in the area for at least the next five to seven years (in case he opts for a post-residency fellowship). After that, they'll see where his career takes them.

He accompanied her to USFS Governing Council in Buffalo last weekend and then they took off for a romantic anniversary trip to Niagara Falls, where Pryor proposed during a sunrise hike.

Life moves forward, but Scott does occasionally wax nostalgic about her competitive days, which included four trips to the world championships with Dulebohn (2000-03) and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

"Every now and then I'll miss a few things about competing," she said. "But as for the day to day training, I put in my time and I was done.

"The Olympics were amazing. Not only that, but Philip and I accomplished so much together. It was more about us becoming the best skaters we personally could. I really felt that I achieved that."

In addition to her company, TaDa Productions, Scott coaches. "Mostly singles right now. We did have a pair team, but they're not skating together anymore. That was a short-lived experience. You know how that goes," she said. She team teaches with other coaches at the rink and has students of all ages.

She and Baker also have a small clothing company, also called TaDa, where they do some dresses and other accessories for skaters. Scott designed her own wedding dress and her mother made it. "It was exactly what I wanted," Scott said. "I love beads and sparkles, I'm a girlie girl."

Scott graduated from the University of Delaware last May with a degree in nutrition, and she does some nutritional consulting. "Setting up a nutrition plan and helping them achieve their weight goals and things like that," she said. "I enjoy doing that."

Unlike short-lived pair teams, Scott's partnership with Dulebohn endured for years, and it was precisely because of their longevity that they were able to attain their goals, such as an Olympic berth.

"We always did whatever it would take to achieve those goals together," Scott explained. "Even if we didn't necessarily agree with each other, we would still work through things. What you create with your partner is something very unique. You'll have those lifelong memories. To give it up over something silly is pointless."

She wears her Olympic ring every day and also has a small Olympic tattoo on her hip as constant reminders of what she accomplished. Right now, her other memorabilia-medals, trophies, costumes and credentials-are packed away, as she and Pryor are in the process of making a sports bar in their basement.

If the bar includes a television set or video screen, Scott can play her most memorable performance-the free skate from the 2003 World Championships in Washington, D.C.

"We skated a clean long and had a standing ovation," she said. "All of our friends and family were there. Everything kind of came together. Philip and I realized we had made it through everything. It was the culmination of all our hard work."